5 Years Have Passed And I Still Can't Stand How Much I Love You
by Windrises
Summary: Five years after Ayano graduated from high-school, she has a successful job, but she has been avoiding Kyoko, during that time. She gets an invite from Kyoko, to go to a high-school reunion. Ayano's afraid of spending time with Kyoko, because of her secret emotions.


Note: Yuru Yuri is an anime that was done by the studios Doga Kobo and TYO Animations and is based on a manga by Namori.

Five years had passed, since Ayano Sugiura's last day of high school. She was twenty-three and a lot had changed for her, since school ended. Ayano was a reserved, shy student, who covered up her gentle, fragile nature, by appearing angry.

Ayano didn't get much attention during her elementary-school years. However, she started getting a bit of a reputation, when it came time for her to go to middle school. During those three years, Ayano was the Vice-President of the Student Council. The only one, who had more power than her, was President Rise Matsumoto. However, since Rise spoke so quietly, almost nobody could hear her. Also, she often skipped the meetings, so she could participate in her favorite teacher's wacky science experiments. Because of that, Ayano made a majority of the team's decisions and did most of the work.

Ayano was a very serious and dedicated student, which put her at odds, with the President of the Amusement Club, Toshino Kyoko. The Amusement Club was a petty, immature club, that didn't have any particular purpose or value. At least, that's what Ayano thought about it. The purpose of the club was for Kyoko to have fun with the team's other three members, Yui Funami, Chinatsu Yoshikawa, and Akari Akaza.

Ayano claimed, that Kyoko was her primary enemy, but deep down, that wasn't how she felt about Kyoko. Kyoko represented the type of free, confident lifestyle, that Ayano wished she could have. Ayano was so uptight and sophisticated, that she was pretty much the opposite of Kyoko, who was a free-spirited, fun, lighthearted, and goofy girl.

In a case of opposite attract, Ayano had a soft spot in her heart, for Kyoko. Although she acted like she couldn't stand Kyoko, she wanted to be her friend. There was a part of her, that feared she had a crush on Kyoko. Ayano tried to hide any sentimentality she had for Kyoko, because she was afraid and embarrassed. She felt like she'd do anything, to hide her real emotions, even if it meant acting towards Kyoko.

During her high-school years, Ayano continued acting the same. She was secretive, shy, and still obsessed with the rules. She continued acting distant to Kyoko, despite Kyoko often trying to invite her to social gatherings.

After graduating from high-school, she briefly went to college, before getting a job. She became the top secretary, for Mr. Priceless, an eccentric company owner.

One day, that took place five years after high-school, Ayano was at one of her meetings. As the meeting came to its' close, Mr. Priceless said, "Alright, everybody. That was an excellent meeting. Have a good one." He handed each of his employees an egg, on their way out. They didn't understand why he did it, but confusion never made Mr. Pricless stop doing what he loves.

Ayano packed up her stuff and was prepared to go. She looked at her boss and said, "That was a great meeting, boss. A lot of work got done."

Mr. Priceless replied, "While that may be true, I can't take much of the credit. After all, nobody does more work around here than you."

Ayano responded, "If that's the case, I'm honored to hear that."

Mr. Priceless said, "By the way, there was something I was going to give you earlier, but I forgot." He handed her a letter and said, "This letter was accidentally sent to the company, rather than the company."

Ayano had an embarrassed look on her face, while replying, "I'm sorry, sir."

Mr. Priceless calmly responded, "It's nothing worth getting concerned about. Besides, it's the fault of whoever sent the letter."

Ayano looked at the name and saw that it was from Toshino Kyoko. She angrily sighed. She opened the letter and quickly skimmed through it.

Mr. Priceless said, "So, what's the letter about, if you don't mind me asking?"

Ayano replied, "It's just a high-school reunion thing, that's tomorrow. I'm certainly going to skip that. Tomorrow's a Friday, which is a work day. Besides, I don't want to go to any of Kyoko's stupid parties."

Mr. Priceless said, "Ayano, you're the only one of my employees, who's never taken any vacation time."

Ayano replied, "My work is so important to me, that I don't feel the need, to take a break from it. Besides, there's no one I want to go on vacation with."

Mr. Priceless said, "You've worked here, for a few years. Although I highly-appreciate your dedication to the job, I do think you should take tomorrow off."

Ayano had a confused look on her face, while asking, "Why?"

Mr. Priceless said, "Work is great and all, but if you don't take time to have fun, you're not living life to the fullest."

Ayano thought about what her boss was saying and she had a hard time disagreeing with him. However, she still didn't feel like going to Kyoko's party. After all these years, she still awkward, when it came to her feelings. She had avoided Kyoko, ever since high school ended. Although she gave Kyoko holiday presents and occasionally bumped into her, she went out of her way, to avoid spending time with her. Ayano said, "I appreciate your sentiments, Mr. Priceless. However, I don't think I should attend the party. Although I was friends with a few high-schoolers, I wasn't that close with any of them. Besides, I'm so serious and uptight, that I'd probably be a buzzkill."

Mr. Priceless replied, "Ayano, I may be your superior, but you are always allowed to follow your own path. Because of that, I can't force you to go the party and I don't want you to be uncomfortable. However, I recommend giving the party a try."

Ayano responded, "Thank you, Mr. Priceless. I better go home."

Mr. Priceless replied, "Okay, but first, I have a gift for you." Instead of just giving her one egg, he gave her a basket of eggs. He handed it to her, while saying, "This is for being the hardest-working and most reliable secretary, that this company has ever had."

Ayano smiled and responded, "Thank you. You're the best."

After getting home, Ayano took a closer look at the letter. Kyoko's reunion wasn't like most high-school reunions. Instead of taking place at a school, it was taking place at Yui and Kyoko's house. Yui had gotten a job, at an animal clinic, so she was able to afford a nice house. Kyoko had tried several jobs, but due to her goofy and immature nature, she struggled to keep any of them. Because of that, Yui let Kyoko live in her guest room.

Ayano paced around her living-room, while thinking about the party. She kept wondering if she should go or not. She thought about her boss' advice and how she had been hiding her feelings too much. Because of that, Ayano decided she should go to the party.

The next day, Ayano drove to Yui and Kyoko's house. Although the party was meant to be loose and fun, Ayano dressed fancy. She wore an eloquent silver jacket, along with a blue shirt and a fancy, long skirt, that was purple.

Due to her shy nature, Ayano already felt a little uncomfortable, even though she hadn't gotten inside. She knocked on the door. She hoped that Kyoko wouldn't be the one to answer the door, because that would increase her anxiety.

To her relief, Yui was the one who answered the door. Ayano shyly said, "Hi Yui. It's good to see you."

Yui shook hands with Ayano, while replying, "It's good to see you. You got here a little early."

Ayano responded, "Oh, right. Well, the reason for that, is because I want to help set the party up."

Yui smiled and replied, "That's very sweet of you, but don't worry. Everything's already been prepared."

Ayano looked at her watch and responded, "I'll just come back or something."

Yui gently pulled Ayano inside, while replying, "There's no need for that. Sit on the couch. I'll have Kyoko visit you, while I check on lunch."

Ayano was fearful, at the thought of spending quality time with Kyoko. Because of that, she said, "I could help you with the kitchen stuff."

Yui calmly replied, "Thank you, but there's no need for that. Everything's going to be okay."

Ayano reluctantly sat on the couch. She looked around, at how the living room was decorated. A lot of the additions, that were Yui's ideas, were plain and normal. However, Kyoko's additions were more goofy and abnormal.

After a brief moment of being by herself, Kyoko came into the living room and sat next to Ayano. Ayano nervously gulped and took a long pause, before saying, "Hi Kyoko. How are you doing?"

Kyoko smiled and replied, "I'm doing good, especially at this moment."

Ayano nervously asked, "Really? What makes this moment special?"

Kyoko tightly hugged Ayano, while saying, "Because after all these years, we're finally reunited."

Ayano blushed and asked, "What are you talking about? We've had plenty of encounters, in recent years. Don't you remember all the Christmas, Easter, and birthday presents, that I've given to you?"

Kyoko answered, "I sure do and I've enjoyed every single one of them, but you're ignoring the bigger picture."

Ayano pretended like she didn't know what Kyoko was talking about, while asking, "What are you talking about?"

Kyoko started sitting closer to Ayano, while saying, "We haven't spent anytime, in person, since high school ended. In fact, one of the main reasons, that I wanted to have this reunion, was to reunite with you."

Ayano asked, "Really?"

Kyoko nodded and answered, "Yeah, I've seen my other friends, during the past few years. You're the only close friend of mine, that I wasn't able to keep contact with."

Ayano folded her arms and turned her back to Kyoko, while asking, "You think I'm one of your closest friends? I hate to burst your bubble, but that's not the case. Don't you remember all of the times, that we competed, to see which of us would get the better grades?"

Kyoko could hardly believe what she was hearing. She made Ayano turn around, so she could face her. She said, "Ayano, do you those silly contests made us enemies?"

Ayano nervously replied, "Well, it's a hard thing to explain."

Kyoko responded, "Come on, Ayano. I didn't compete with you, because I wanted to get the best grades and brag about it. I agreed to those contests, because it was the only way you'd visit me and my other friends, at the Amusement Club."

Ayano was secretly glad to hear that. Although she pretended like she wanted to be Kyoko's superior, deep down, she just wanted to spend more time with Kyoko. However, due to her lack of confidence and shyness, she had been denying herself the happiness, that her heart was craving.

Kyoko looked at Ayano and said, "If you hadn't come to this reunion, this would just be a normal party, like the ones I always have." She started holding Ayano's hand, while saying, "Thank you for coming."

Ayano replied, "You're welcome, but do you realize what you're doing? You're holding my hand! Why would you do such a thing?!"

Kyoko had an amused look on her face, while saying, "Wow, I didn't know holding a hand was a crime. If that's the case, the police are going to have a lot of complaints."

Ayano blushed, while replying, "I'm sorry. I'm just not used to people holding my hand. If you want to keep holding it, that's fine."

Kyoko responded, "Then I'm going to keep my grin, on this soft hand of yours." Ayano started blushing harder, while hoping that Kyoko didn't see her.

To her embarrassment, Kyoko started noticing it. She said, "Wowsers, what's up with your red face?"

Ayano shyly replied, "Toshino Kyoko, please don't focus on that."

A moment later, Chinatsu and Akari arrived. Ayano was thankful about that, because she thought she'd be able to hide from Kyoko. However, Ayano's return was the main reason, that Kyoko had this reunion. Because of that, she didn't let Ayano out of her sights. Ayano tried to get off the couch, but Kyoko grabbed her and started hugging her.

Ayano looked annoyed, while saying, "Toshino Kyoko, let go of me."

Kyoko responded, "Okay, but only if you want me to."

As much as she hated to admit it, Ayano didn't want Kyoko to let go. Having Kyoko's arms around her, felt like the most comforting thing, that she had felt in years. Ayano shyly said, "I'll let you keep hugging me, but only for another minute or two."

Kyoko replied, "Very well then."

Yui came into the living room, with pizza for her and her friends. Yui sat on one of the chairs, while Chinatsu and Akari sat on the other couch.

Yui looked at Chinatsu and said, "It's good to see you."

Chinatsu blushed and replied, "Thank you, my dear Yui. As always, it's an honor to see you."

Kyoko and Yui started catching up with Chinatsu. As usual, everybody forgot about Akari.

Chinatsu noticed that Kyoko had been hugging Ayano, ever since she entered the living room. Because of that, she looked at Akari and asked, "What's up with them?"

Yui answered, "It's been years, since they last had a proper visit. Because of that, Kyoko has a lot of affection, that she wants to share with her old friend."

After several minutes of having Kyoko's arms around her, Ayano said, "Toshino Kyoko, please stop hugging me. That's enough, for now. In fact, that might be enough hugs, for the next five years."

Kyoko started looking a little sad, while asking, "What do you mean?"

Ayano could feel sweat coming down her face. The desire to keep her dignity and the desire to get the happiness, that she always wanted, were conflicting against one another. Ayano knew she could keep pretending she didn't like Kyoko, to keep her from being embarrassed, but that would break both her and Kyoko's hearts. She could admit she like Kyoko, to embrace her true feelings and to get what she wants, but she was embarrassed by the thought of that.

After a long moment of awkwardness, Ayano got up and said, "Please excuse me. I need some fresh air." She started walking outside.

Ayano turned around and saw that Kyoko was following her. She nervously whispered, "Oh crap."

Kyoko started walking closer to Ayano. The wind was rising heavily, as Kyoko approached Ayano and asked, "What's wrong?"

Ayano asked, "Wrong? I don't see anything, which would be considered wrong."

Kyoko replied, "Please give me a real answer."

In order to prevent further embarrassment, Ayano tried to act more aggressive, than she actually was. She angrily said, "I don't like going to your parties or spending time with you. That's why I've been avoiding you, for the last five years."

Kyoko gently shook Ayano, while replying, "Come on, Ayano. I know that's not the truth. If you didn't want to spend time with me, you wouldn't of come to the party or let me give you an extended hug. I need you to be honest with me."

Ayano realized it was time, for her honesty to pour out. She shyly said, "Toshino Kyoko, I've never hated you. In fact, I've always found you captivating and compelling. You were always so lighthearted, daring, adventurous, and fun. I was none of those things. I was a shy, overly-serious student, who always hid her emotions. I was mad at you, because I was jealous of you. You might be more silly and immature than me, but you managed to embrace your true emotions and enjoy life, in ways I never managed to accomplish. I like you. I wanted to be your friend, but I wanted to avoid you, because I was too shy and because I felt inferior to you."

Kyoko gently held Ayano's hand, while replying, "Ayano, you should never feel that way. You're just as good as me. In fact, you're probably better than me. You're smarter and you put more effort into your work. Why should you be scared?"

Ayano nervously responded, "I'm afraid, that I'm not good enough for you."

Kyoko gently lifted Ayano's chin up, while saying, "You are good enough, for me. It'd be an honor, to have you play a more prominent role in my life. In fact, during the last five years, I started realizing how important you were to me."

Ayano asked, "Really?"

Kyoko nodded and said, "Yeah, I loved spending time with you. After you went away, I started feeling lonelier." She pulled Ayano closer to her, while saying, "Ayano, please don't leave and hide from me. I want you to be with me, I really do. I love you."

Ayano blushed, while asking, "Love? How much do you love me?" Kyoko gave Ayano a passionate kiss, on the lips. Ayano's fear started fading away, while looking at Kyoko and saying, "I love you too."

Kyoko started grinning, while asking, "So, you're not going to leave?"

Ayano answered, "I want to be a part of your life, always. I hate myself, for trying to keep you out of my life."

Kyoko hugged Ayano, while saying, "That's in the past. Now, we have each other and we're going to have one another." The two women both had happy tears pour down their eyes. That day was better than the last five years, combined and they knew the next five years were going to be even better.


End file.
